Smart searching of wireless devices using device location information

ABSTRACT

Particular embodiments described herein provide for an apparatus, such as a wireless electronic device, that includes a memory element configured to store electronic code, a processor operable to execute instructions associated with the electronic code, and at least one module. The at least one module is configured to receive first location information identifying a first location associated with an electronic device. The at least one module is further configured to receive first connection location information indicative of a second location of the electronic device at a time of connection with a first wireless device. The at least one module is further configured to evaluate for a presence of the first wireless device when the first location is within a predetermined distance of the second location.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application is a continuation (and claims the benefit of priorityunder 35 U.S.C. §120) of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/977,013, with aU.S. 371 filing date of Aug. 28, 2013 and an effective filing date ofDec. 27, 2012, and entitled SMART SEARCHING OF WIRELESS DEVICES USINGDEVICE LOCATION INFORMATION, which application is a national stageapplication under 35 U.S.C. §371 of PCT International Application SerialNo. PCT/US2012/071847, filed on Dec. 27, 2012, which application claimspriority to Indian Patent Application Serial No. 4118/CHE/2012 filedbefore the Patent Office of India on Oct. 3, 2012. The disclosures ofthe prior applications are considered part of and are herebyincorporated by reference in their entirety in the disclosure of thisapplication.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments described herein generally relate to smart searching ofwireless devices using device location information.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not by way oflimitation in the FIGURES of the accompanying drawings, in which likereferences indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram illustrating an embodiment of acommunication system for smart searching of wireless devices usingdevice location information in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of a wireless electronic deviceaccording to one embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a simplified diagram of device profiles maintained withinprofile database of the wireless electronic device 102 according to oneembodiment;

FIG. 4 is a simplified flowchart illustrating potential operationsassociated with the location manager module of the wireless electronicdevice according to one embodiment; and

FIG. 5 is a simplified flowchart illustrating potential operationsassociated with the wireless electronic device according to oneembodiment.

The FIGURES of the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, as theirdimensions can be varied considerably without departing from the scopeof the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description sets forth example embodiments ofapparatuses, methods, and systems relating to smart searching ofwireless devices using device location information. Features such asstructure(s), function(s), and/or characteristic(s), for example, aredescribed with reference to one embodiment as a matter of convenience;various embodiments may be implemented with any suitable one or more ofthe described features.

Traditional wireless electronic devices (e.g., cell phones, smartphones, wireless-enable laptops and notebook computers, etc.) constantlyscan for neighboring wireless electronic devices using a pseudorandomexponential time period between scans. In such a process, the searchingelectronic device searches for available neighboring devices for a setperiod and then sleeps for a random exponential time period. In thisscenario, the battery of the searching device is drained quicklyregardless of whether there are any electronic devices within thevicinity of the searching electronic device to be found. Hence, thereare drawbacks associated with current wireless electronic devices thatconstantly search for neighboring electronic devices such as an increasein power consumption by the searching device.

Particular embodiments described herein provide for an apparatus, suchas a wireless electronic device, that includes a memory elementconfigured to store electronic code, a processor operable to executeinstructions associated with the electronic code, and at least onemodule. The at least one module is configured to receive first locationinformation identifying a first location associated with an electronicdevice. The at least one module is further configured to receive firstconnection location information indicative of a second location of theelectronic device at a time of connection with a first wireless device.The at least one module is further configured to evaluate for a presenceof the first wireless device when the first location is within apredetermined distance of the second location.

In more particular embodiments, the at least one module is furtherconfigured to enable a radio module when the first location is withinthe predetermined distance of the second location. In yet otherembodiments, the at least one module is further configured to receive adevice identifier associated with the first wireless device, and storethe device identifier in association with the first connection locationinformation. In more particular embodiments, the device identifier andfirst connection location information are to be stored in a database.

In still other particular embodiments, the at least one module isfurther configured to connect to the first wireless device, receivethird location information for identifying a third location associatedwith the electronic device, and update the stored first connectionlocation information with the third location information. In aparticular embodiment, updating the stored first connection locationinformation includes replacing the first connection location informationwith the third location information. In still another particularembodiment, updating the stored first connection location informationincludes adding the third location information to the stored firstconnection location information.

In still other embodiments, the at least one module is furtherconfigured to receive fourth location information identifying a fourthlocation associated with the electronic device at a time ofdisconnection from the first wireless device, and store the fourthlocation information as disconnection location information inassociation with the device identifier. In other particular embodiments,the at least one module is further configured to receive fifth locationinformation identifying a fifth location associated with the electronicdevice, and disable a radio module when the fifth location is within apredetermined distance of the fourth location.

Smart Searching of Wireless Devices Using Device Location Information

Referring now to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram illustrating anembodiment of a communication system 100 for smart searching of wirelessdevices using device location information in accordance with oneembodiment of the present disclosure. Communication system 100 includesa wireless electronic device 102, a first wireless access point 104 a incommunication with a first Local Area Network (LAN) 106 a, a secondwireless access point 104 b in communication with a second LAN 106 b, aBluetooth™ wireless device 108, and one or more cellular networks 110.In one or more embodiments, wireless electronic device 102 may includeany suitable device having wireless connectivity capability such as amobile device, a cellular telephone, a smartphone, a notebook computer,a laptop computer, a tablet computer and/or a tablet device (e.g., ani-Pad), a personal digital assistant (PDA), etc. In a particularembodiment, first wireless access point 104 a and second wireless accesspoint 104 b are Wi-Fi enabled wireless access points. In otherembodiments, first wireless access point 104 a and second wirelessaccess point 104 b may employ other suitable wireless technologies.

Various embodiments described herein provide for wireless electronicdevice 102 to scan wireless devices within its vicinity and build adatabase of devices to which wireless electronic device 102 connects aswell as a location of wireless electronic device 102 at the time ofconnection. In such embodiments, the location may be later used totrigger scans for the particular devices when wireless electronic device102 is again brought within proximity to the location associated withthe particular devices. For example, a user may scan wireless devicesusing wireless electronic device 102 while located at a Home location atearlier instances of time. When wireless electronic device 102 isbrought within proximity of the Home location at a later instance oftime, wireless electronic device 102 may be configured to trigger a scanfor one or more devices associated with the Home location when wirelesselectronic device 102 determines that its current location is within apredetermined range of the stored location information. Similarly, auser may scan wireless devices located at an Office location at anearlier time to trigger a scan for the wireless devices associated withthe Office location when wireless electronic device 102 later detectsits current location within a predetermined range or distance of thestored location information associated with wireless devices at theOffice location.

As discussed, current approaches lack adequate means for triggering ascan based on location of the scanning device. In current approaches, ascanning algorithm of a wireless electronic device searches for devicesin an exponential time interval irrespective of whether the wirelesselectronic device is located in the same location for a long period oftime. In various embodiments described herein, scans are initiated by asearching device by taking into account the current location of thesearching device. In some embodiments, if there is no change in locationof the searching device, a scan may not be performed by the searchingdevice. In one or more embodiments, wireless electronic device 102initiates a scanning procedure to build a profile database of devices towireless electronic device 102 connects in association with locationinformation indicating a current location of wireless electronic device102 at the time of connection. The location information may be laterused to trigger a scan for the devices when wireless electronic device102 is within proximity to the previously determined location.

Further elaborating upon these concepts, in a first instance of timewireless electronic device 102 is located at a first location (Location#1) that is proximate to first wireless access point 104 a. In at leastone embodiment, wireless electronic device 102 may be configured tosearch for wireless devices within its proximity and connect to one ormore detected wireless devices. In a particular embodiment, wirelesselectronic device 102 connects to first wireless access point 104 a.First wireless access point 104 a is configured to provide connectivityto LAN 106 a to wireless electronic device 102. Wireless electronicdevice 102 further receives a first location signal 112 a from whichwireless electronic device 102 determines its current location. In aparticular embodiment, first location signal 112 a is a globalpositioning system (GPS) signal. In another particular embodiment, firstlocation signal 112 a is a cellular network based coarse location signalfrom which wireless electronic device 102 determines its currentlocation. In various embodiments, wireless electronic device 102 storesa first identifier associated with first wireless access point 104 a.Wireless electronic device 102 further stores the determined currentlocation of wireless electronic device 102 as first location informationin association with wireless access point 104 a. In various embodiments,wireless electronic device 102 is configured to store the firstidentifier and the first location information in a database. Inparticular embodiments, the database is stored within the wirelesselectronic device 102. In still other particular embodiments, thedatabase is stored on one or more storage devices associated with anetwork server.

In a subsequent instance of time, wireless electronic device 102 movesaway from the first location (Location #1) and disconnects from thefirst wireless access point 104 a. In one or more embodiments, wirelesselectronic device 102 may further determine the current location ofwireless electronic device 102 at the time of disconnection from firstwireless access point 104 a and store first disconnection locationinformation representative of the location of wireless electronic device102 at the time of disconnection from first wireless access point 104 a.The second location information may be stored by wireless electronicdevice 102 in association with the first wireless access pointidentifier and the first location information.

When wireless electronic device 102 returns to location determined to bewithin a predetermined proximity to the first location (Location #1),wireless electronic device 102 may be configured to automatically enteran active scanning mode to scan or evaluate for the presence of theidentifier associated with first wireless access point 104 a and connectto first wireless access point 104 a. In some embodiments, wirelesselectronic device 102 may be configured to disable scanning oralternately, enter an idle scanning mode when wireless electronic device102 is located beyond the second location information representative ofthe point of disconnection.

In another subsequent instance of time, wireless electronic device 102moves to a second location (Location #2) that is proximate to secondwireless access point 104 b. In at least one embodiment, wirelesselectronic device 102 may be configured to again search for wirelessdevices within its proximity and connect to one or more detectedwireless devices. In a particular embodiment, wireless electronic device102 connects to second wireless access point 104 a. Second wirelessaccess point 104 b is configured to provide connectivity to LAN #2 106 nto wireless electronic device 102. Wireless electronic device 102further receives a second location signal 112 b from which wirelesselectronic device 102 determines its current location. In variousembodiments, wireless electronic device 102 stores a second identifierassociated with second wireless access point 104 b and the determinedcurrent location of wireless electronic device 102 as second locationinformation in association with second wireless access point 104 b.

Wireless electronic device 102 may be configured to connect toBluetooth™ wireless device 108, determine its current location and storea third identifier associated with Bluetooth™ wireless device 108 and athird location signal indicative of the current location of wirelesselectronic device 102 in association with the third identifier.Bluetooth™ wireless device 108 is configured to provide a Bluetooth™connection to wireless electronic device 102 and may include a headset,speaker, or other Bluetooth™ enabled device.

In still another subsequent instance of time, wireless electronic device102 may move away from the second location (Location #2) and away fromthe wireless range of second wireless access point 104 b and Bluetooth™wireless device 108. Upon disconnection from second wireless accesspoint 104 b, wireless electronic device 102 may store seconddisconnection location information in association with the secondidentifier representative of the current location of wireless electronicdevice 102 at the time of disconnection. Similarly, wireless electronicdevice 102 may be configured to store third disconnection locationinformation in association with Bluetooth™ wireless device 108. Invarious embodiments, when wireless electronic device 102 determines thatits current location is beyond the second disconnection locationinformation and/or the third disconnection location information,wireless electronic device 102 may be configured to disable one or moreradios such as a Wi-Fi radio and/or a Bluetooth™ radio.

In still another subsequent instance of time, wireless electronic device102 may move to a location proximate to the first location (Location#1). Upon wireless electronic device 102 determining its currentlocation matches the first location information associated with thefirst identifier of first wireless access point 104 a, wirelesselectronic device 102 may enter an active scanning mode to actively scanor otherwise evaluate for the presence of first wireless access point104 a. In some embodiments, wireless electronic device 102 may befurther configured to automatically connect to first wireless accesspoint 104 a upon detecting its presence.

Accordingly, in various embodiments, wireless electronic device 102 maybe configured to store location information associated with detectedwireless devices within its proximity, and later actively scan orevaluate for the presence of those wireless devices when returning to beinitially determine location. In some embodiments, wireless electronicdevice 102 may remain in an idle scanning mode when it is not near alocation matching that of previously scanned and connected to wirelessdevice. Thus, in certain embodiments, power may be conserved by thewireless electronic device 102 when it is not near a locationcorresponding to locations of previously scanned and connected towireless devices.

Referring now to FIG. 2, FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram ofwireless electronic device 102 according to one embodiment. Wirelesselectronic device 102 includes one or more processor(s) 202, a memoryelement 204, a scanning module 206, a location manager module 208, aprofile database 210, a Wi-Fi module 212, cellular module 214, aBluetooth™ module 216, and a GPS module 218. Processor(s) 202 isconfigured to execute various tasks of wireless electronic device 102 asdescribed herein and memory element 204 is configured to store dataassociated with wireless electronic device 102. Scanning module 206 isconfigured to implement the various scanning functions of wirelesselectronic device 102 as further described herein. In at least oneembodiment, scanning module 206 periodically scans for wireless devicesaround its vicinity. Location manager 208 is configured manage locationinformation stored within profile database 210 as will be furtherdescribed herein. In at least one embodiment, location manager 208maintains the location information obtained when wireless electronicdevice 102 connects to a wireless device. In particular embodiments,location manager 208 maintains location information within profiledatabase 210 of the location when wireless electronic device 102 entersinto the wireless coverage area of a particular wireless device as wellas the location when wireless electronic device 102 moves outside thewireless coverage area of the particular wireless device. In one or moreembodiments, scanning module 206 receives a trigger from locationmanager 208 to initiate scanning and/or evaluating for the presence of atargeted wireless device when wireless electronic device 102 is within apredetermined range of the location associated with the connectivitylocation information stored within profile database 210 associated withthe targeted wireless device.

Wi-Fi module 212, cellular module 214, and Bluetooth™ module 216 areconfigured to implement Wi-Fi radio communication, cellular radiocommunication, and Bluetooth™ radio communication, respectively, betweenwireless electronic device 102 and one or more wireless devices and/orwireless networks. GPS module 218 is configured to receive a GPS signalto aid wireless electronic device 102 in determining its currentlocation as further described herein. Display module 220 is configuredto provide visual information to a user of wireless electronic device102, and user interface module 222 is configured to provide a userinterface to allow a user to interact with wireless electronic device102 as will be further described herein.

In one implementation, wireless electronic device 102 is a wirelessdevice that includes software to achieve (or to foster) the scanning andlocation managing operations, as outlined herein in this Specification.In other embodiments, certain operations may be executed externally tothe wireless electronic device 102, or included in some network elementto achieve this intended functionality. Alternatively, wirelesselectronic device 102 may include software (or reciprocating software)that can coordinate with network elements in order to achieve theoperations, as outlined herein. In still other embodiments, one orseveral devices may include any suitable algorithms, hardware, software,components, modules, interfaces, or objects that facilitate theoperations thereof.

Referring now to FIG. 3, FIG. 3 is a simplified diagram of deviceprofiles maintained within profile database 210 of wireless electronicdevice 102 according to one embodiment. Profile database 210 includes afirst device profile (Profile #1) 302 a, a second device profile(Profile #2) 302 b, and a third device profile (Profile #3) 302 c. Firstdevice profile (Profile #1) 302 a includes a first device identifier(device identifier #1) which identifies a first wireless devicepreviously scanned and connected with by wireless electronic device 102.In a particular embodiment, the first device identifier 304 a is a MediaAccess Control (MAC) address associated with the scanned wirelessdevice. In still other embodiments, any suitable identifier may be usedto identify a particular wireless device. First device profile (Profile#1) 302 a further includes first connection location information(connection location information #1) 306 a indicative of a currentlocation of wireless electronic device 102 at the time of connection ofwireless electronic device 102 with the first wireless device identifiedby first device identifier (device identifier #1) 304 a. In oneembodiment, first connection location information 306 a is determinedfrom one or more GPS signals received by wireless electronic device 102.In another embodiment, first connection location information 306 a isdetermined from a coarse location signal obtained from a cellularnetwork. In still other embodiments, first connection locationinformation 306 a may be obtained via any suitable method fordetermining a current location of wireless electronic device 102. Firstdevice profile 302 a further includes first disconnection locationinformation (disconnection location information #1) 308 a indicative ofa current location of wireless electronic device 102 at a time ofdisconnection of wireless electronic device 102 with the first wirelessdevice.

Second device profile (Profile #2) 302 b of profile database 210includes a second device identifier (device identifier #2) 304 b whichidentifies a second wireless device previously scanned and connectedwith by wireless electronic device 102, second connection locationinformation (connection location information #2) 306 b indicative of acurrent location of wireless electronic device 102 at the time ofconnection of wireless electronic device 102 with the second wirelessdevice identified by second device identifier (device identifier #2) 304b, and second disconnection location information (disconnection locationinformation #2) 308 b indicative of a current location of wirelesselectronic device 102 at a time of disconnection of wireless electronicdevice 102 with the second wireless device.

Third device profile (Profile #3) 302 c of profile database 210 includesa third device identifier (device identifier #3) 304 c which identifiesa third wireless device previously scanned and connected with bywireless electronic device 102, third connection location information(connection location information #3) 306 c indicative of a currentlocation of wireless electronic device 102 at the time of connection ofwireless electronic device 102 with the third wireless device identifiedby third device identifier (device identifier #3) 304 c, and thirddisconnection location information (disconnection location information#3) 308 b indicative of a current location of wireless electronic device102 at a time of disconnection of wireless electronic device 102 withthe third wireless device.

Referring now to FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a simplified flowchart 400illustrating potential operations associated with the location managermodule 208 of wireless electronic device 102 according to oneembodiment. In 402, location manager module 208 receives current devicelocation information indicative of a determined current location ofwireless electronic device 102. In a particular embodiment, wirelesselectronic device 102 determines the current device location informationusing a received location signal such as a GPS signal or coarse locationsignal obtained from a cellular network. In 404, location manager module208 receives one or more device profiles from profile database 210. Atleast one of the profiles may includes a device identifier to identify awireless device previously scanned by wireless electronic device 102 andconnection location information indicating a location of wirelesselectronic device 102 at a time of connection of wireless electronicdevice 102 with the wireless device. In some embodiments, a deviceprofile may further include disconnection location informationindicating a location of wireless electronic device 102 at a time ofdisconnection between wireless electronic device 102 and the wirelessdevice.

In 406, location manager module 208 determines whether the currentlocation of wireless electronic device 102 is within a predeterminedthreshold distance (or range) of a location represented by connectionlocation information contained within one or more device profiles. Ifthe current location of wireless electronic device 102 does not matchconnection location information found in one or more device profileswithin a predetermined threshold, the operations return to 402. If thecurrent location of wireless electronic device 102 does match connectionlocation information found in or more profiles within the predeterminedthreshold, location manager module 208 generates device location eventinformation in 408. The device location event information includes oneor more device identifiers corresponding to the matching connectionlocation information. In 410, the location manager module 208 sendsdevice location event information to scanning module 206. In variousembodiments, scanning module 206 uses the device location eventinformation to determine whether wireless electronic device 102 willscan for or evaluate for the presence of nearby devices identified inthe device location event information as will be further describedherein. In a particular embodiment, wireless electronic device 102 maytry to contact, ping, or otherwise reach out to an identified wirelessdevice when it is within the predetermined distance of the locationrepresented by the connection location information associated with thewireless device. In a particular embodiment, wireless electronic device102 may further wait to receive an acknowledgement from the identifiedwireless device that is directed to wireless electronic device 102confirming the presence of the identified wireless device.

Referring now to FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a simplified flowchart illustratingpotential operations associated with wireless electronic device 102according to one embodiment. In 502, wireless electronic device 102enters an idle state. In the idle state, scanning module 206 initiatesan idle state timer. The idle state timer is a timer that expires aftera time equal to a predetermined idle state timer value has elapsed.

In 504, scanning module 206 scans for devices within proximity ofwireless electronic device 102 using an idle state scanning procedure atan idle state scan interval. In a particular embodiment, during the idlestate scanning module 206 scans for devices during a pseudo-randomexponential (2, n) time interval. For example, in a particularembodiment scanning module 206 may scan for devices at an idle statescan interval pseudo-randomly chosen among 2, 4, or 8 second intervals.In still other embodiments, scanning module 206 may disable scanning fordevices during the idle state in order to further reduce powerconsumption of wireless electronic device 102.

In 506, scanning module 206 determines whether device location eventinformation has been received from location manager module 208. If nodevice location event information has been received by scanning module206, the operations continue to 508. If device location eventinformation has been received by scanning module 206, the operationscontinue to 510. In 508, scanning module 206 determines whether the idlestate timer has expired. If the idle state timer has not expired, theoperations return to 504 in which the idle state scanning procedurecontinues to be performed.

If device location event information is determined to have been receivedin 506 or if the idle state timer is determined to have expired in 508,the operations continue to 510. In 510, scanning module 206 scans for orevaluates for the presence of profile devices indicated within thereceived device location event information during an active statescanning procedure. In some embodiments, scanning module 206 may alsoscan for other devices within reception range of wireless electronicdevice 102. In 512, scanning module 206 determines whether a device hasbeen found during the active scanning procedure. If it is determinedthat no device has found, the operations return to 502 in which the idlestate is again initiated. If it is determined in 512 that one or moredevices have been found by the active scanning procedure, the operationscontinue to 514.

In 514, wireless electronic device 102 connects to one or more founddevices. In one embodiment, the connection of wireless electronic device102 to a found device may be performed automatically. In still anotherembodiment, connection of wireless electronic device 12 is a device maybe at the direction of the user using user interface 222. In 516,connection location information for one or more connected devices isupdated with the current location of wireless electronic device 102 atthe time of its connection with the device within profile database 210.In at least one embodiment, updating the connection location informationincludes replacing already stored connection location information withthe new connection location information. In other embodiments, updatingthe connection location information includes adding the new connectionlocation information to already stored connection location information.For example, in a particular embodiment multiple instances of connectionlocation information may be stored in a situation in which the samewireless device is encountered in multiple locations. Accordingly,connection location information within a corresponding entry for aparticular wireless device within profile database 210 may be updated oneach occasion that wireless electronic device 102 connects to theparticular wireless device.

In 518, wireless electronic device 102 disconnects from one or morewireless devices. In particular embodiments, wireless electronic device102 disconnects from a particular wireless device when it moves out ofcoverage range of wireless signals generated by the particular wirelessdevice. In 520, disconnection location information for one or moredisconnected devices is updated with the current location of wirelesselectronic device 102 at the time of its disconnection with the devicewithin profile database 210.

Various embodiments reduce the need for wireless electronic device 102to continuously scan for wireless devices in its proximity by usinglocation information events to trigger a scan when the wirelesselectronic device 102 moves within the vicinity of a location associatedwith a previously scanned and registered wireless device. In someembodiments, the reduction of the need for continuously scanning forwireless devices may provide for power saving within wireless electronicdevice 102. In some embodiments, a user may choose to either manuallyscan for wireless devices or allow automatic triggering of scans basedupon location event information.

In some embodiments, wireless electronic device 102 may be configured toenable and disable various wireless radios based upon the connectionlocation information and disconnection location information associatedwith a particular device. In one embodiment, wireless electronic device102 may be configured to enable a particular radio module, such as Wi-Fimodule 212, cellular module 214, and/or Bluetooth™ module 216, ofwireless electronic device 102 when wireless electronic device 102 iswithin a predetermined distance of a location identified by connectionlocation information associated with a particular wireless devicecapable of communicating using the radio technology employed by theparticular radio module. For example, in a particular embodimentwireless electronic device 102 may be configured to enable Wi-Fi module212 when wireless electronic device 102 is within range of a connectionlocation associated with first wireless access point 104 a. In anotherembodiment, wireless electronic device 102 may be configured to disablea particular radio module of wireless electronic device 102 whenwireless electronic device 102 is within a predetermined range of alocation identified by disconnection location information associatedwith a particular wireless device. For example, in a particularembodiment wireless electronic device 102 may be configured to disableWi-Fi module 212 when wireless electronic device 102 is within apredetermined distance of a disconnection location associated with firstwireless access point 104 a.

It is imperative to note that all of the specifications, dimensions, andrelationships outlined herein (e.g., height, width, length, materials,etc.) have only been offered for purposes of example and teaching only.Each of these data may be varied considerably without departing from thespirit of the present disclosure, or the scope of the appended claims.The specifications apply only to one non-limiting example and,accordingly, they should be construed as such. In the foregoingdescription, example embodiments have been described. Variousmodifications and changes may be made to such embodiments withoutdeparting from the scope of the appended claims. The description anddrawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather thana restrictive sense.

Numerous other changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, andmodifications may be ascertained to one skilled in the art and it isintended that the present disclosure encompass all such changes,substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications as fallingwithin the scope of the appended claims. In order to assist the UnitedStates Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and, additionally, anyreaders of any patent issued on this application in interpreting theclaims appended hereto, Applicant wishes to note that the Applicant: (a)does not intend any of the appended claims to invoke paragraph six (6)of 35 U.S.C. section 112 as it exists on the date of the filing hereofunless the words “means for” or “step for” are specifically used in theparticular claims; and (b) does not intend, by any statement in thespecification, to limit this disclosure in any way that is not otherwisereflected in the appended claims.

Example Embodiment Implementations

One particular example implementation may include an apparatus, such asa wireless electronic device, that includes a memory element configuredto store electronic code, a processor operable to execute instructionsassociated with the electronic code, and at least one module. The atleast one module is configured to receive first location informationidentifying a first location associated with an electronic device. Theat least one module is further configured to receive first connectionlocation information indicative of a second location of the electronicdevice at a time of connection with a first wireless device. The atleast one module is further configured to scan for the presence of thefirst wireless device when the first location is within a predetermineddistance of the second location.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus, comprising: a memory elementconfigured to store electronic code; a processor operable to executeinstructions associated with the electronic code; and at least onemodule configured to: receive first location information indicative of acurrent location of an electronic device; receive a device profile, thedevice profile including a device identifier identifying a wirelessdevice previously scanned by the electronic device and second locationinformation indicating a previous location of the electronic device at atime of a previous connection of the electronic device with the wirelessdevice; determine whether the current location of the electronic deviceis within a predetermined distance of the previous location of theelectronic device; and scan, by the electronic device, for the deviceidentifier identifying the wireless device responsive to a determinationthat the current location of the electronic device is within thepredetermined distance of the previous location of the electronicdevice.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one module isfurther configured to enable a radio module when the current location iswithin the predetermined distance of the previous location.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is furtherconfigured to: receive the device identifier responsive to the scanningfor the device identifier; and connect to the wireless device responsiveto receiving the device identifier.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, whereinthe at least one module is further configured to: receive third locationinformation indicative of a new current location associated with theelectronic device; and update the stored first connection locationinformation with the third location information.
 5. The apparatus ofclaim 4, wherein updating the stored first connection locationinformation includes replacing the first connection location informationwith the third location information.
 6. The apparatus of claim 4,wherein updating the stored first connection location informationincludes adding the third location information to the stored firstconnection location information.
 7. The apparatus of claim 3, whereinthe at least one module is further configured to: receive fourthlocation information indicative of a location associated with theelectronic device at a time of disconnection from the first wirelessdevice; and store the fourth location information as disconnectionlocation information in association with the device identifier.
 8. Theapparatus of claim 7, wherein the at least one module is furtherconfigured to: receive fifth location information indicative of acurrent location associated with the electronic device; and disable aradio module when the fifth location is within a predetermined distanceof the fourth location.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the deviceprofile is stored in a database.
 10. A method, comprising: receivingfirst location information indicative of a current location of anelectronic device; receiving a device profile, the device profileincluding a device identifier identifying a wireless device previouslyscanned by the electronic device and second location informationindicating a previous location of the electronic device at a time of aprevious connection of the electronic device with the wireless device;determining whether the current location of the electronic device iswithin a predetermined distance of the previous location of theelectronic device; and scanning, by the electronic device, for thedevice identifier identifying the wireless device responsive to adetermination that the current location of the electronic device iswithin the predetermined distance of the previous location of theelectronic device.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprisingenabling a radio module when the current location is within thepredetermined distance of the previous location.
 12. The method of claim10, further comprising: receiving the device identifier responsive tothe scanning for the device identifier; and connecting to the wirelessdevice responsive to receiving the device identifier.
 13. The method ofclaim 12, further comprising: receiving third location informationindicative of a new current location associated with the electronicdevice; and updating the stored first connection location informationwith the third location information.
 14. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising: receiving fourth location information indicative of alocation associated with the electronic device at a time ofdisconnection from the first wireless device; and storing the fourthlocation information as disconnection location information inassociation with the device identifier.
 15. The method of claim 14,further comprising: receiving fifth location information indicative of acurrent location associated with the electronic device; and disabling aradio module when the fifth location is within a predetermined distanceof the fourth location.
 16. The method of claim 10, wherein the deviceprofile is to be stored in a database.
 17. Logic encoded in at least onenon-transitory medium that includes code for execution and when executedby a processor operable to perform operations comprising: receivingfirst location information indicative of a current location of anelectronic device; receiving a device profile, the device profileincluding a device identifier identifying a wireless device previouslyscanned by the electronic device and second location informationindicating a previous location of the electronic device at a time of aprevious connection of the electronic device with the wireless device;determining whether the current location of the electronic device iswithin a predetermined distance of the previous location of theelectronic device; and scanning, by the electronic device, for thedevice identifier identifying the wireless device responsive to adetermination that the current location of the electronic device iswithin the predetermined distance of the previous location of theelectronic device.
 18. The logic of claim 17, wherein the operationsfurther include enabling a radio module when the current location iswithin the predetermined distance of the previous location.
 19. Thelogic of claim 17, wherein the operations further include: receiving thedevice identifier responsive to the scanning for the device identifier;and connecting to the wireless device responsive to receiving the deviceidentifier.
 20. The logic of claim 17, wherein the device profile is tobe stored in a database.